Your First Electric Bike: Setup and First Ride
Your bike has arrived. Here is what to do before you ride it, what will feel different from a normal bike, and the handful of habits worth forming in the first week.
The short version
- Finish assembly: front wheel, bars, pedals, seat. About 15 to 20 minutes.
- Charge it fully before the first ride. No special conditioning needed.
- Set the seat height before you go anywhere.
- Check tyre pressure against the sidewall. They ship soft.
- Start in the lowest assist level. The acceleration surprises everyone.
- Brake earlier than you think. More weight, more speed, longer stopping.
- Get a proper D-lock before you leave it anywhere.
- Pedals go on opposite ways. The left one is reverse threaded.
What we cover
Assembly · First charge · Setting it up for you · Assist levels · Your first ride · First week habits · Locking it up · FAQ
Finishing the assembly
Bikes ship around 90 percent assembled, so there is roughly 15 to 20 minutes of work. If you collect from our Richmond store we do it for you at no charge and you ride out on it.
What is usually left:
- Front wheel. Seat it fully in the dropouts and tighten properly. On a heavy bike this one matters.
- Handlebars. Line them up square with the front wheel, then tighten the stem bolts evenly in a criss-cross pattern.
- Pedals. The right pedal threads normally. The left pedal is reverse threaded and turns anticlockwise to tighten. They are marked L and R. Cross-threading a pedal is the most common assembly damage there is.
- Seat and post. Fit, set the height, do not exceed the minimum insertion mark.
- Check the brakes. Squeeze both levers. Firm, not spongy, and the wheel should stop.
- Inflate the tyres to the sidewall range. They ship soft.
- Check every bolt you did not touch, since transport loosens things.
If anything feels wrong, particularly brakes, stop and call us rather than riding it to find out.
The first charge
Batteries ship partly charged, because regulations limit the state of charge for transport. Give it a full charge before the first ride.
There is no conditioning ritual needed. Advice about fully cycling a new battery several times comes from older chemistries and does not apply to modern lithium packs. Charge it, ride it.
Use the charger that came with the bike, on a dry surface with air around it. A full charge from low typically takes three to six hours.
Setting the bike up for you
Ten minutes here makes every ride better.
Seat height. Sit on the bike with a pedal at its lowest point and your heel on it. Your leg should be almost straight. Moving to the ball of your foot then gives you the slight bend you want riding.
Plenty of riders deliberately run the seat a little lower than that so they can put both feet flat down at lights. On a heavy bike that is a reasonable trade, and with a motor helping you will not miss the pedalling efficiency.
Bar and lever angle. Brake levers should fall naturally under your fingers without reaching down or bending your wrist. Loosen, rotate, retighten.
Mirrors, if you commute. More useful on an e-bike than a pushbike because you are moving faster in traffic and turning your head unbalances a heavy bike more.
Full detail in what size electric bike do I need.
Understanding assist levels
Assist levels set how much the motor contributes to your pedalling. Most bikes have three to five.
| Level | Feels like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest | A gentle hand on your back | First rides, flat ground, maximising range |
| Middle | Noticeably easier, still pedalling properly | Everyday commuting. Where most riders live |
| Highest | Strong push, minimal effort | Hills, headwinds, running late. Uses range fast |
Throttle, where fitted and legal for your bike, moves the bike without pedalling at all. Availability depends on the bike's configuration and where you are riding it. Our buying guide covers the legal side of that properly.
The habit worth forming: sit lower in the assist range than feels natural. It roughly doubles your range and you still arrive without effort.
Your first ride
Pick somewhere quiet and flat. A park path or an empty car park, not a main road at peak hour.
- Start in the lowest assist. The acceleration from a standstill catches almost everyone out on higher settings.
- Practise starting and stopping ten times before you go anywhere. That is where the weight is most noticeable.
- Brake earlier than instinct says. More mass at more speed means a longer stopping distance, and it takes a week to recalibrate.
- Take corners slower at first. Fat tyres are stable but the bike carries weight low and behaves differently to a pushbike.
- Try each assist level on flat ground so nothing surprises you on a hill.
- Notice the weight when you stop. Getting on and off, walking it, lifting it onto a kerb. All different.
If you can ride a bike, you can ride an e-bike. The two things to adjust to are weight and acceleration, and both take about a week.
Habits worth forming in the first week
- Latch the battery, do not just seat it. A battery in its cradle but not locked is the most common cause of a bike that cuts out or will not start.
- Sixty second pre-ride check: brakes, battery charge, battery latched, tyres.
- Charge before storing, never leave it flat. That is what actually kills batteries.
- Bring the battery inside in cold weather rather than leaving it in a garage.
- Check tyre pressure weekly. Fat tyres go down gradually and you will not notice by squeezing.
- Learn where your bike is legal to ride before you build a routine around a route.
Locking it up
An e-bike is a valuable and attractive target. A cable lock is not adequate.
- Use a heavy duty D-lock through the frame and a fixed, immovable object. Not a wheel alone, which can be removed and left behind.
- Two locks of different types is meaningfully better than one, because it takes two sets of tools.
- Take the battery with you where practical. It is the most valuable removable part and it makes the bike far less useful to move.
- Lock it somewhere visible and busy, ideally covered by cameras.
- Record your frame number and photograph the bike. It matters enormously if it is ever recovered.
- Check your insurance. Home and contents may or may not cover a bike away from the property, and e-bikes are often treated separately.
First e-bike FAQ
How much assembly does an electric bike need?
Ours ship around 90 percent assembled and take about 15 to 20 minutes to finish. Typically that means fitting the front wheel, handlebars, pedals and seat, then checking brakes and tyre pressure. Assembly is free if you collect from our Richmond store.
Should you fully charge a new e-bike battery before the first ride?
Yes. New batteries usually arrive partly charged for transport, so give it a full charge before the first ride. There is no special conditioning routine needed with modern lithium packs, despite what older advice suggests.
What assist level should a beginner use on an e-bike?
Start in the lowest assist level for your first ride. The acceleration on higher settings surprises almost everyone, particularly from a standstill. Work up through the levels once you are comfortable with how the bike delivers power.
Are electric bikes hard to ride?
If you can ride a bike you can ride an e-bike. The adjustments are weight and acceleration. They are considerably heavier at low speed and when manoeuvring, and the assist arrives faster than legs do, so braking earlier becomes a habit.
How do you lock up an electric bike?
Use a heavy duty D-lock through the frame and a fixed object, not just the wheel. Take the battery with you where possible, since it is the most valuable removable part. A cable alone is not adequate for a bike of this value.
What should you check before every e-bike ride?
Brakes, battery charge and that the battery is properly latched, plus a quick look at the tyres. That takes under a minute. A battery seated but not latched is the most common cause of a bike that cuts out or will not start.
We will set it up with you
Collect from 435A Bridge Road, Richmond and assembly is free. We build it, check the brakes, set the tyre pressure, fit the seat to you and walk you through the display and assist levels before you leave.
Come back any time in the first few weeks and we will adjust anything that is not sitting right. Call 03 9421 2293. Free shipping Australia wide on orders over $90.
Keep reading: What Size Electric Bike Do I Need? · Battery Care and Charging · Maintenance Guide · Problems and How to Fix Them · Commuting in Melbourne · E-Bike Laws Victoria
Shop: Fat Tyre E-Bikes · Locks, Racks and Accessories · Helmets